The Dangers of Silence
by Me Llamo Berry
Summary: The sequel to 'The Dangers of a Bully.' Have the brothers recovered from the attempt? Or are there still some issues beneath the surface?


Phineas stopped outside his brother's room. He sighed, absentmindedly rubbing his arms. "Can I come in, Ferb?" he called softly. No answer. Phineas hung his head. Despite the fact that Ferb was still alive, after a week he hadn't said a word.

Phineas pushed the door open, hoping his brother wasn't... drawing again. He didn't know what to do. His brother didn't respond to things.

Ferb gazed at the door with a blank look. He knew that his brother loved him, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it. He didn't want to fall again.

His hand itched for his glass. The need to cut, to relieve the tension was overwhelming, but he refused to make a move while his brother stood there looking at him almost shyly.

Ferb met Phineas's eyes and winced at the sight of the stitches across his brothers face. That was his fault. If it weren't for him... Ferb sighed, looking at his hands.

Phineas walked in slowly, closing the door behind him. "Ferb... Please... Talk to me..."

Ferb shook his head. He couldn't... not yet.

His brother bit back tears as he sat down on the bed next to Ferb. "Please..."

The green hair teen shook his head. He wasn't ready. He didn't even know what to say. He turned his head away and stared at the wall.

Phineas dropped his head in his hands and shook with silent tears. "Please Ferb..." Ferb didn't move. Phineas spotted the new piece of glass Ferb had been using to cut. "Why? Why do you still...?" He shook his head, and looked at Ferb.

It was easy to see the changes now that he was looking for it. His brother was paler than he used to be, his eyes were endless pools of sorrow, there were shadows under his eyes, and his face... it actually expressed sorrow as a whole. It wasn't a blank canvas anymore.

He didn't just see the changes, he could see the dried blood along Ferb's arm. He touched Ferb's arm, and the teen refused to make eye contact.

Phineas hung his head and rolled up his sleeves. He stared at the stitches marking where he had stabbed his arms just a week earlier.

He thought he knew why. He had kept Ferb here on earth, when it was clear that he had wanted to leave. It was all his fault. He could've noticed the changes in Ferb. He could've pushed Ferb harder and helped him. He could've...

Phineas blinked back the tears as he remembered the optimist he was... Knowing that it was all his fault changed his mind about optimism. It was stupid to hope for things that wouldn't happen. It was obvious Ferb was miserable, so the least Phineas could do was suffer with his brother.

Ferb had started to ignore Phineas. There was no way Phineas would understand the torture in Ferb's mind. He just wouldn't get it. Ferb wasn't upset, he just couldn't come to terms with the fact that he had been wrong about Phineas and everyone. He no longer wanted to die but he just couldn't figure out how he had missed how much everyone loved him.

He turned to his bedside table and stared again at the amount of cards and well wishes he had received. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense anymore. He couldn't explain it to himself, much less anyone else, so he simply stayed mute while he thought.

Ferb looked down at all the stitches he had received and thought back to those memories. He didn't know how he couldn't see the truth then, and why his heart refused to believe it now. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Phineas hung his head as he considered how to join Ferb in his misery. Suddenly, a crooked smile spread across his lips and he told himself, "Phineas, I know what I'm going to do today."

Gripping the piece of glass, he left the room without a word. The first thing he did upon entering his own room was close the door. Then he slid off his shirt and regarded his stitches. He tore up the ones on his arms, while leaving the ones on his face intact.

He closed his eyes to block out the pain and tried to figure out exactly why Ferb would... He sighed and brought the glass to his chest. He closed his eyes as he made a huge X across his chest. Rather than gasping for pain, somehow... he felt... relieved.

He opened his eyes and watched the blood pool out of the X. He stared at the piece of glass in his hand that had caused it. And Phineas Flynn smiled in understanding. Decorating his body felt good. No wonder Ferb didn't stop.

"Dinner's ready!" He jumped in surprise. He grabbed a black long sleeved shirt to cover up the torn stitches. On his way downstairs, he took a look at himself in the mirror. He cleaned off all visible blood before joining his family to eat.

During dinner, Ferb did not say a word, and neither did Phineas. The rest of the family did the talking, though neither brother missed the worried looks sent their way.

Ferb couldn't help but stare at his brother. His suddenly _silent_ brother. Something was different. It wasn't just that Phineas wasn't talking. It wasn't just the long black shirt that he had never worn. It was his expression: an expression of defeat. One Ferb knew well, having worn it for years.

Ferb resolved to find out what his brother was up to. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. He played with the fork in his hand as he thought about what was going on with Phineas.

He looked up in time to see Phineas head upstairs, still not saying a word. Worried, Ferb took that as his cue and followed. He tilted his head in confusion when he spotted the closed door.

Phineas took off the shirt and watched the undried blood drip. It was fascinating. Tears pricked his eyes when he remembered why he had chosen to do it. He made another slash on his chest. The sight of blood was gratifying to the teen. He let out a sigh and once more moved to draw designs on his front.

Desperately, he scratched out things faster and faster. The blood flowed. He wanted it to end. He couldn't live with the guilt that he could've done _something_ any longer. Phineas knew that if he lost enough blood, he would die. It would be slow and painful, but it was worth it. He had caused his brother so much pain by not being there, and now he was feeling the pain himself before he died. He lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, unwilling to make any more marks on his skin. He had hit a bigger blood vessel, and it wasn't showing any signs of clotting. He sighed and waited calmly for death to come.

Ferb stood outside the door, wondering whether he should intrude. After about ten minutes, he couldn't take it any more. He had to find out what was going on.

He opened the door slowly and froze in horror. There was Phineas on the bed, his... body... covered in blood. Blood that was still flowing. Ferb took a slow step forward and then another. He couldn't take his eyes off of the mess. There was no way to tell if Phineas was still alive.

Ferb feared the worst. If his brother died, he would have to follow. He vowed to save Phineas from any life-threatening situation years ago, and it looked like he had broken it. He couldn't stand the thought. If Phineas was dead...

He shook his head as he approached the bed. He saw the rise and fall of the chest. He let out a sigh of relief, but he realized that one of the wounds was bleeding harder than it should have. "No..." he whispered hoarsely, not noticing that Phineas had opened his eyes. "NO!" he shouted, forgetting the other people in the house.

Ferb took off his shirt and pressed it against the wound, hoping to stop the flow. "I won't let you die, Phineas," his voice shook with emotion as he applied pressure.

Phineas gasped at the sound of his brother's voice. He stared as his brother tried to stop the bleeding. His jaw dropped when he saw the tears running down Ferb's face. He turned his head away. "It's my fault," he murmured.

"Your fault?" Ferb repeated, dumbstruck. "Is that what you think?"

Phineas nodded, biting his lip.

Ferb shook his head. "No, no, it's not..."

"But I could've done..."

"Nothing. There is nothing you could have done," Ferb stated firmly.

"But you're alive. Because of me, and you haven't talked since..." Phineas trailed off weakly.

"No... no, that's not your fault!" Ferb cried. "I was confused! I know you care... but... My heart refuses to believe it. I don't know how I was blind..." he looked down. "Phineas?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm here..." Phineas murmured weakly.

Ferb hung his head and reached for the glass. "If you die, I die too," he informed the bleeding teen.

"But..."

Ferb shook his head. "You are my brother. Nothing changes that. I can't let you die..." With his free hand, he had been making new marks on his front, destroying all of the ones from his previous life.

"Phineas?" he asked, panicked. There was no response. Phineas was unconscious. "NO!" Ferb shouted and lay upon his brother sobbing. He purposely struck an important blood vessel... twice.

"I'm coming..." he murmured and curled up with his brother.

After dinner, Candace curled up on the couch with Jeremy, who had stopped by to check on her. She was still shaken up by the incident, but she was slowly regaining herself.

Linda and Lawrence were discussing the matter while doing the dishes. They didn't know what to do with either of their children.

Candace was feeling drowsy, with Jeremy playing with her hair when she heard the scream. A scream she barely recognized. After a moment of thought she shot up and raced up the stairs.

Jeremy followed. "Who was that?" he asked.

"Ferb," was Candace's short reply.

Jeremy said nothing else as she threw open the door to see Ferb crawl onto the bed. She saw the blood and collapsed on the ground.

"Not my brothers," she moaned.

Jeremy hugged her tightly as he took out his phone and dialed 911.

Linda was sobbing into Lawrence's chest. This was beyond anything they could think of. Why would their boys, their sweet, innocent boys... It was too much. Linda fainted.

Candace clung to Jeremy. Try as she might, she could not get the image of all that blood out of her mind. She whimpered and sobbed as Jeremy tried to soothe her. He was the only one in the house left thinking coherently. But even he was trying not to cry.

The next day

Phineas woke up slowly. All he could see was white, and all he could hear was... beeping? He shook his head. This can't be right... he should be dead.

He tried to sit up. Suddenly, Isabella was at his side helping him up. He looked up into her eyes and saw how worn and sad they were.

She started crying, and through her arms around him. "Don't do that ever again, Phineas Flynn!" she sobbed.

Phineas nodded slowly in disbelief. He was covered with bandages and... "Where's Ferb?"

Isabella pulled away. "He's in the next bed over." At Phineas's worried look, she added, "He's alive. Don't worry about him."

Ferb was just waking up himself and he didn't move. He was pleased that his brother was alive, and nothing else mattered.

All he needed to do was work through his problems.


End file.
